Irrespective of the business you run, it is imperative that you maintain an active online presence. The first step to this, of course, is to get a web developer to create a website for you.

Today, WordPress websites are the standard. As such, the developer you end up choosing will probably use this platform to create your site. Before hiring one, however, there are a number of things you need to know. These include the following:

1. Logic and Experience

First of all, you need to learn how to check for the experience and the logic of the WordPress developers you interview. The only you are going to get the best results is by working with a developer with adequate WordPress skills and experience.

In terms of experience, keep in mind that the developer you pick needs a minimum of 1 year of active experience creating responsive sites using WordPress. Although the intended freelancer or company might have a WP development course, and worked on various WP development projects, only time and experience can teach them the insider techniques and tricks that are currently prevalent in the industry.

This is actually why most web development firms only hire developers who have at least 3 years of experience. The hiring process is also rigorous because the firms know that their reputation depends on the quality of developers they have to offer.

That said, the best way to learn more about the experience and logic of the WordPress developer you are looking to hire would be by looking through their client testimonials and project portfolio.

Find out whether the developer has worked on similar WP projects in the past. Then, check the project modules they used and see if they can be applied to your own website.

2. WordPress Themes

It would also be useful if you could learn a little bit about the different between a template theme and a hand coded theme. Start by asking yourself whether your website is so unique that it can only work with a hand-coded theme.

Some top WordPress developers code themes that are great for their own projects. However, if the website you need created is for a small business, you should have a good understanding of the drawbacks that come with using themes that are specifically designed for your company.

If it is, ask the developer whether they will ensure that the theme they create for you will always be properly aligned with all future WordPress versions. Keeping in mind that WP tends to update the platform on a regular basis, you have to ensure that your website will benefit in terms of user interface, usability, and security.

The best option, however, would be to look for a developer who uses template themes. Not only are these themes compatible with all future WordPress versions, they are also cheaper to run and maintain over the long haul. Similarly, templates come with free updates for every new change that WP makes to its platform.

At the end of the day, the kind of website you are looking for will determine whether you hire a developer who works with hand-coded themes or one who prefers template themes.

3. Project Timeline

Before you hire a developer, check with them to ensure that they will be free enough to be able to dedicate enough time, skill, and expertise on your website. Especially when you are working with freelancers, there is always the chance that a new project might pop up into their to-do list.

This will, inevitably mean that the freelancer will push your website development project and you’ll end up getting your WordPress site much later than you had anticipated. To ensure this does not happen, ensure that the developer you hire gives you a good estimate of the amount of time they will have to dedicate to your project.

Where WordPress websites are concerned, the longer the time that is dedicated to the project, the better the website turns out. You certainly want to ensure that your project will get enough time to make it worth your own investment.

Question your WordPress developer about how they intend to help you reduce or eliminate these security threats, and the steps they will take to protect your website from any malicious source of harm. Ask them about the measures they will take to safeguard the website. If they go the extra mile to provide additional security to every website they develop, the better for you.

5. Post-Development Support

As far as possible, only work with WordPress developers and designers who will provide you with user support even after they are done with your project. You can never tell when your site could be hit by scammer or hackers, or if a small glitch could cause you to lose the client database you have diligently built over time.

Most of the WP developers you will come across today typically offer anything between 30 and 60 days of user support after the project is complete. However, if it is possible, check whether you can sign a contract with them stating that they will offer you unlimited help, updates, and support.

That said you also need to ensure that your developer does some basic testing on the website before they hand it over to you. This way, you will be able to ascertain whether it is compatible with all the major browsers and different mobile devices. Similarly, you will know whether the visual elements are correctly displayed according to the design you approved.

Concluding Thoughts

Over and above everything else, the stability, security, reliability, performance, and usability of your website will ultimately depend on the kind of WordPress developer you contract for the project. Teach yourself all of the above things and follow the advice in this guide to ensure that you end up with the best WordPress website for the money you are paying.

One more thing... Did you know that people who share useful stuff like this post look AWESOME too? ;-) Please leave a useful comment with your thoughts, then share this on your Facebook group(s) who would find this useful and let's reap the benefits together. Thank you for sharing and being nice!

The Outstanding HungryJPEG Bundles

Advertise on CollectiveRay.com

CollectiveRay (formerly known as DART Creations) is interested in developing partnerships with mutual benefit. If you like the stuff we publish and would like to develop a relationship, we'd be happy to hear from you. Go on - drop us a line - we'd love to hear from you :-)

Disclosure: CollectiveRay is funded personally out of pure passion for helping people working with websites. We do however generate some income through recommendations of products. This means if you click on a link and purchase an item we link to, we will receive a small sum out of that sale. We usually partner with vendors to make your purchase cheaper than buying direct.

who are we?

CollectiveRay is run by David Attard - working in and around the web design niche for more than 12 years, we provide actionable tips for people who work with and on websites. We also run DronesBuy.net - a website for drone hobbyists.